Incentive QAS and the City & Guilds Group team-up to provide workforce with living wage

Incentive QAS, the specialist cleaning arm of leading independent facilities management company Incentive FM Group, has introduced the London Living Wage to a key workforce servicing one of its major clients. Higher wages are now being provided to those employees delivering a range of cleaning services to the City & Guilds Group, a leader in global skills development.

Incentive QAS is nine months into a three-year contract to provide a full range of daily office cleaning services at the City & Guilds Group's two main offices in Giltspur Street, London, as well as at eight regional offices including Glasgow, Warrington and Cardiff. The contract also sees Incentive QAS deliver a selection of associated services, including pest control, waste management, window cleaning and washroom services.

Upon securing the contract, which commenced in September 2015, 29 members of staff transferred to Incentive QAS' operation under TUPE.

Those employees working across the City & Guilds Group's offices in London have recently been upgraded from the TUPE minimum wage to the London Living Wage, currently set at £9.40 per hour, in line with the company's status as a recognised Living Wage Service Provider. In addition, Incentive QAS and City & Guilds Group have also ensured those employees working across the regional offices are now paid at least the Living Wage (£8.25 per hour). Both of these rates exceed the Government's National Living Wage (£7.20, regardless of location), introduced this April.

Since the introduction of the higher wages Incentive QAS has observed an increase in team morale and positive attitude from staff whilst on the job. The company has also witnessed a reduction in absence rates and days lost to sickness.

"At the City & Guilds Group we believe that everyone is deserving of a salary that not only rewards their skillset and dedication to the role, but also reflects the real cost of living in the UK," says Kevin Hutcheson, head of facilities management, City & Guilds Group. "We are proud to work together with Incentive QAS to provide higher wages for the cleaning staff working across our offices."

Jamie Wright, ?Managing Director, Incentive QAS, (pictured) says: "Incentive QAS and the City & Guilds Group were keen to ensure employees working across both London and the rest of the UK were being suitably rewarded for the excellent standards of work they deliver on a daily basis. The feedback from our on-site supervisors has been very positive, whilst we are now attracting job applications from cleaners with greater experience of working within the industry."